Assistant Professor in Francophone Studies

The Department of French, Francophone & Italian Studies at the University of Kansas invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor with expertise in any area of global Francophone literature and culture with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, or the Maghreb to begin 8/18/2023. This position is a full-time, academic-year appointment. We are especially interested in candidates whose research is interdisciplinary in nature and who could collaborate fruitfully with colleagues in other programs, including but not limited to the Department of African and African American Studies, the Kansas African Studies Center, the Institute for Research in Digital Humanities, the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Francophone Studies; native or near-native fluency in French; record of excellence in teaching college-level courses; evidence or promise of a successful research program; ability to work well with students, faculty, and administrators; willingness to direct or co-direct the Paris Summer Language Institute program.

 

The University of Kansas is located in the beautiful, historic, and culturally vibrant city of Lawrence, a thriving community 40 minutes from the Kansas City metropolitan area and 30 minutes from the state capital, Topeka. Lawrence, a progressive college town of 100,000, boasts a lively downtown with many music venues, award-winning restaurants, and a nationally celebrated independent bookstore among its many independently owned small businesses. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the largest school within the campus and plays a central role within the University. Founded in 1865, KU is a designated Carnegie comprehensive doctoral and research university and is one of only 34 public members of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). The University enrolls more than 28,000 students and offers students and faculty opportunities to collaborate in its graduate and professional programs, which include education, public health, medicine, law, and a number of allied social science and humanities disciplines.
 

In a continuing effort to enrich its academic environment and provide equal educational and employment opportunities, the university actively encourages applications from members of underrepresented groups in higher education. KU’s vision is to be an exceptional learning community that lifts each other and advances society. The Jayhawks Rising Strategic Plan was developed around three Institutional Priorities: creating a clear and ambitious direction to fulfill our mission to educate leaders, build healthy communities, and make discoveries that change the world. Additional information is available at https://jayhawksrising.ku.edu/.  The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. by the effective date of the appointment.

 

The College emphasizes interdisciplinary, experiential learning and global awareness, houses a vibrant university wide Honors Program that highlights undergraduate research and service activities, and has created strong affiliations with outstanding cross-disciplinary research centers. Faculty and academic staff have emphasized the importance of continuing and expanding on relationships with centers and entities including the Hall Center for the Humanities, the Institute for Policy and Social Research, the Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities, the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction, the Spencer Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum. These relationships have brought a broad range of disciplines together to pursue and conduct sponsored research and education at the international, national, state, regional and local levels, and have created employment structures in which faculty and academic staff share appointments to emphasize collaboration. College faculty and research staff are welcomed as members in all KU’s designated research centers and institutes. The College is home to internationally recognized scholars and scientists who brought in $44M in research funding in FY 2021, nearly 30% of the total funded research at KU Lawrence.

 

Required qualifications for the position will include:  1) PhD in French & Francophone Studies by start date of the appointment; 2) native or near-native language ability in both French and English; 3) Demonstrated excellence in teaching French language and culture in a university; and 4) willingness to direct or co-direct the Summer Language Institute program in Paris.

 

A complete information and to apply online go to https://employment.ku.edu/academic/23578BR.  A complete online application includes the following materials: (1) cover letter; (2) curriculum vitae; (3) research agenda; (4) teaching portfolio (this should include two complete sets of student evaluations, a sample syllabus, and a teaching statement/philosophy); and (5) the names, email and contact information for three professional references. In addition to the materials above, learning about each applicant's contribution and engagement in areas of diversity is an important part of KU's mission. As a result, applicants will be presented the following question at the time of application:  Describe your experiences working with people from diverse backgrounds and explain how those experiences reflect your commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).  Applicants are also encouraged to include or expand upon how they have contributed to building a culture of belonging through DEI initiatives within the required application materials provided.  

 

Application review will begin November 7, 2022 and will continue until a pool of qualified applicants is obtained.  For information about the position, please contact Chair Bruce Hayes at bhayes@ku.edu.
 

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university’s programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).
 


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